SEASON 3 SUMMARY

               

               The third season of The Real Ghostbusters aired at the same time as the second, but it aired on ABC like the first where the second went straight to syndication.  This season is often mislabeled a ‘Season 2’ even by those making it because the first two seasons were made simultaneously.  With this season being the second to air on ABC the studio called it the second season as well.  

                What also adds to the confusion in the season number is the fact that the Season 3 is also the first follow up season.  This season often explores concepts and bad guys that were in the first season and that the syndicated season didn’t address.  We get a second encounter with the Boogieman and Pumpkin head Samhain (sorry).  We get the best episode with the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man and we see the return of film villain Walter Peck.  The season also introduced new threats such a Rall, the Copycat, and the Grundel.  The season also had some low points, I didn’t think the first episode was overly strong and the “Transylvania Homesick Blues” was terrible in terms of massive continuity errors. 

                This is the first season that has a different feel from its two predecessors.  A major factor to that was the change in the voice actors with Dave Coulier and Kath Soucie replacing Lorenzo Music and Laurie Summer as Peter and Janine.  It took an episode to get used to the new voices.  Janine now has let her hair grow out and gotten a new pair of glasses.  Slimer is also much easier to understand and they use him a lot more.

                The most controversial decision is the creation of the Junior Ghostbusters.   This was demanded by the executives and the writers wanted nothing to do with it and that showed.  It was a bad situation made worse by all involved and I said when reviewing their first appearance.

“Still if you had to make Junior Ghostbusters don’t’ you think you should try to do it well?  For example why create new bland characters when you already have established characters you could use?  What about Kenny from the episode Masquerade or Megan and her bother—also Kenny---from the Boogieman’s first appearance.   They helped defeat him last time wouldn’t it have been great to see them do it again? Then add a new character and there you go.

“It also might be a good idea to establish them before just announcing they exist.  You should answer the questions of, “How did they get to be Junior Ghostbusters?” “Where are they’re parents?” I also thought Catherine who dressed in a uniform similar to Egon’s and was blond might be relative, Egon’s niece perhaps?”

          In the end Season 3 continued on the work of the first two seasons in bringing a high quality show to kids every Saturday morning.  Most the episodes were great and the show was a lot of fun.   

THE GHOSTBUSTERS MEET BIG FOOT

Camping It Up

Original Air date December 12, 1987

Writer: Michael Reaves

Directors: Charles Grosvenor and Bernard Deyries

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 4 of 5)

Summary: The Ghostbusters with Janine and Slimer are preparing to go on a camping trip.  They decide to leave all their ghostbusting equipment at home because there are apparently no ghosts in the woods. When they get there they pitch their tents and set up camp.  That night they sat around the campfire telling stories and after Ray tells a good one, Slimer indicated he wanted someone to go to the woods with him so he can use the "little ghosts' room."  While they are out in the woods Slimer sees Bigfoot but Winston doesn’t believe him. 

Bring the equipment? Nah, ghosts can't find the woods!

                However Bigfoot shows up to camp but after a short while they learn to communicate with him and find that he is not so bad.  In fact he is rather friendly.  After using the PKE meter to examine Big Foot himself and the lighting that is following him.  Egon concludes that Big Foot is from another dimension and needs to get back to the portal that brought him here.  He needs to get there fast because it will only be up during certain small time windows.  The Ghostbusters help Big Foot find the portal with some daring white water rafting.  The portal was located under a waterfall. 

Big Foot just wants friends.

                With Big Foot home safe and sound they decide to stay a little longer camping in the woods after Peter accidentally unpacks everything with Egon’s electro tent. The Ghostbusters were at one with their environment.

Slimer and Big Foot

My Take: Yeah it was short summary but that pretty much all that happened. It was a fun episode however.

                Now for my stray observations:

·         Once again, all the Ghostbusters have to go on vacation together. Even poor Janine is dragged along.

·         Why are they not bringing their equipment?  They think that ghosts don’t like nature?  Didn’t they learn anything last time they forgot their equipment?

·         Ghosts have to go to the bathroom?  

·         The Ghostbuster all sleep in the same bunk house yet they all have a separate tent?  I guess they didn’t want Janine to feel weird.

·         Big Foot commandeered Egon’s tent so he had to sleep with Ray.  Janine was disappointed.

A quiet way to end Season 3.

THE REVERSE VAMPIRE STORY

Transylvanian Homesick Blues

Original Air date December 11, 1987

Writer: Michael Reaves

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 1 of 5)

Summary: The Ghostbusters are invited to Boldavia by the local ruler Count Vostok.  The Count hopes they can help rid him of a particular ghost.  Since Count Vostok paid upfront the Ghostbusters head out to see him.  When they arrive it is clear that Vostok is a stereotypical vampire in the manner of which he dresses, acts, and even the strange castle he lives in.  The dead giveaway however is when the “ghosts,” shaped like giant bats, attack the people and then turn their attention towards the castle Vostok transforms into a giant bat himself and battles the others who vanish.

So what are we doing here? Don't know his episode doesn't make any sense.

                The Ghostbusters have lots of questions, probably due to the fact that they have forgotten the previous encounter they have with vampires.  Egon asks if he drinks blood and Vostok says that he now sustains himself with modern artificial blood.  He also states that he is the last of his kind, and that his family’s old enemy Van Helden is out to destroy him even though he doesn’t hurt people.  He created a machine that creates ghost bats framing him for the people’s terror. 

Count Vostok

                As day approaches Vostok retires to his coffin and the Ghostbusters are stuck dealing with an angry mob.  When Slimer doesn’t manage to scare them Egon turns the PKE meter into a sonic weapon and drives them away.  Van Helden sneaks in and tries to get the Count but the Ghostbusters come in and stop him.  The chase him by car and catch him after he hits a tree.  Egon then concludes the villagers are probably over their problem with the Count by now.

Javert- I mean Van Helden

My Take: I didn’t think it was possible but it turns out Michael Reaves, the author of the Boogieman Cometh and many other five star episodes, is capable of writing a bad episode.  This episode had an interesting concept with a vampire who has discovered a way to survive without harming people but is still menaced by society who still thinks he is dangerous.  I almost gave it a ‘2’ just for that but ultimately decided to go with my gut ruling. 

This episode, despite being the second to last episode of Season 3 is placed as the first episode of the season on the DVD set.  This is due to the fact that because of an animation error Janine was drawn to look like she did in the first two seasons.  Janine’s hair and glasses are the least of this episode’s problems.  The most obvious issue with the episode is how the characters are really excited to meet a vampire because they never seen a vampire before.  But they have, in fact they saw a large group of vampires, one that became so big they had a schism and split into two groups that were fighting amongst themselves.  So when Vostok claimed to be the last of his kind they should have corrected him.

Also some of the things that were said about Transylvania were very off.   Transylvania was never its own country historically it had been part of the Principality of Wallachia, whose most famous Prince, Vlad III (AKA Vlad the Impaler), was the one of main inspirations for Dracula.  At the time that book was written Transylvania was part of the Habsburg Empire, which was long thought of as backward by those in Western Europe so it was easy to imagine a vampire living as one of their counts and preying on the people of their county.  In fact, another Dracula inspiration, the real life Countess Elizabeth Báthory kind of did.  Nowadays Transylvania is part of Romania and had been since the early twentieth century. 

Now for my stray observations:

·         Peter is smart to recognize that the Ecto-1 can’t get them to Europe. (Actually it probably could now with all those gadgets that we have seen this season.)

·         Did Vostok buy this castle from Count Duckula?

·         Villagers shouldn’t speak English.

·         Since when is Slimer incapable of scaring people?

·         Okay why are the Ghostbusters even here?  The Count has issue with the Vampire Hunter and the Villagers.  What good are the Ghostbusters?  I mean it worked but who would have thought.

·         Egon is overly sure about what the villagers, who he nearly fried their brains, are going to do.

              Well, even great writers are allowed to mess up now and again.    

SHAPE CHANGING GHOST

The Copycat

Original Air date December 5, 1987

Writer: Michael Reaves

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 4 of 5)

Summary: The Ghostbusters are sent to an apartment that when they arrive seems like a false alarm.  The ghost is a shape changer that helps it hide from PKE readings.  Slimer does run into it in the form of a cooked turkey and the dog, but was unable to convince the Ghostbusters.  As they left the Copycat took the form of the Ghostbusters symbol and rode along on the back of Ecto-1.

Copycat hitching a ride!

                When they return to the firehouse the Copycat gets out and starts making trouble.  It plays a number pranks on the Ghostbusters by taken their forms and tricking them into thinking that their coworkers are being mean to them.  After the each accuses each other of doing something that they weren’t around for they quickly figure out what is going on.

Interdenominational gateways always a bad idea.

                Egon manages to seal the firehouse from ghosts being able to leave or enter, locking themselves in with the Copycat.  While battling the Copycat it shows a wide range of its power including taking the form of fictional characters and being able to use their abilities.   In order to capture the creature they needed to get the Copycat to turn itself into a ghost.  They get Slimer to battle the Copycat and the Copycat took his form.  Once they managed to get the real Slimer out of range they busted the Copycat.

My Take: Not the first shape shifting ghost they had encountered, in fact Gozer was a shape changer.  Yet this was a very fun episode and extremely creative. 

                Now for my stray observations:

• Well they took care of the customer’s ghost problem but not in the way they would expect.
• Really good copycat.  It can do surfaces and become fictional characters.  Speaking of which when it turned into Captain Steel it got his powers.  Why doesn’t it remain in that form all the time?
•  So let me get this straight the laundry room and the Containment Unit room is one and the same.   It’s for storing ghosts and doing laundry!  Wasn’t this a mistake once, leaving clothing with Ectoplasm on it?
•   Stop building interdimensional gateways they never turn out right.

 The Copycat is a villain I wouldn’t mind seeing return.

BAD COMPANY

The Grundel

Original Air date November 14, 1987

Writer: J. Michael Straczynski

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 4 of 5)

Summary:  The Ghostbusters are tracking down and trapping a ghost known as a Jabberwock.  When done they find their tires boosted from the Ecto-1.  Fortunately for them the kid who did was caught and they got their stuff back.  As they prepare their car to head home a creature called the Grundel looks for another kid to corrupt.

Ghostbusters take down the Jabberwock.

                Across town twin brothers Alec and Lee were heading to bed.  Alec was complaining about living under the "tyranny" of parents when he is lured by the Grundel to let him in.  The Grundel now whispers encouragement to Alec so the boy will act on his darkest desires.

Alec and the Grundel.

                Later at the boys' school the Ghostbusters are giving a demonstration on ghostbusting.  Alec, under the encouragement of the Grundel, sabotaged the Ghostbusters’ proton packs.  This causes them to blast at full power instead of demo power and they destroy a good deal of the gym.  Afterwards Lee confronts the Ghostbusters to let them know what he thinks is going on with his brother.

Alec and his innocent brother Lee.

                As they get back to the firehouse they begin to investigate the unexplained readings they had been getting at the school.  Egon looks up the Grundel and recognizes it as what might be affecting Alec.  If the Grundel continues Alec will turn into a Grundel.  They call Alec and Lee’s parents and it turns out that Alec has left and Lee chased after him. 

Egon identifies the Grundel.

                The Ghostbusters have tracked them to a factory.  Alec has already begun his transformation and is trying to lure Lee to join him.  They can’t blast the Grundel so long as Alec is hooked to him, so they need to get Alec to reject him.  Peter gets that opportunity when Lee fell when a panel opened underneath him.  Lee was hanging on for dear life and only Alec could save him.  Peter appealed to their love as brothers.  This reaches through to Alec who then overthrows the Grundel and saves his brother.   The Ghostbusters than zapped and trapped the Grundel, called it day and took the kids home.

Alec going t the dark side.

My Take: A decent episode with an interesting villain, the Grundel serves as a good metaphor for dark desires.

Alec starting to transform

·         My sisters use to sing that Jabberwocky song that Winston was singing in the beginning.

·         All I could think of was Jason Todd, who was the current Robin in the Batman comics at the time, when the Ecto-1’s tires were boosted.

·         Uh-oh! Ghostbusters destroy part of the school without being officially on the job, that will show you that in the future you should check your proton pack before firing.

·         Speaking of which how would Alec know how to alter the proton pack?  The Grundel?  How would he know?

·         Janine discussing her love of the Ghostbusters when Ray said they didn’t get any and Egon said he didn’t care was one of the best Egon/Janine scenes ever.

·         Earlier Slimer was offended about Ray saying most ghosts couldn’t read this doesn’t make sense if most ghosts are former humans.  Also Slimer can pick up information on print by touching it and can display it on his body when ever asked?  Slimer has some cool powers.

·         The dad bod and voice don't match up, sorry.

·         So was the Grundel they captured originally a kid too? 

I don’t remember seeing this one as a kid, probably a good thing I didn’t need more excuses.  

THE RETURN OF A MAN WHO HAS NO DICK

Big Trouble With Little Slimer

Original Air date November 21, 1987

Writers: Len Janson and Chuck Menville

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 4 of 5)

Summary: Walter Peck, the former EPA agent who is the sworn enemy of the Ghostbusters, has returned to bother the Ghostbusters once more.  He begins by tailing the Ecto-1 on a job trying to expose the Ghostbusters as fake.  He fails so he decides to set the Ghostbusters up instead.  Peck calls the firehouse claiming to be an employee at a government research lab and they have an emergency with a powerful ghost.  The Ghostbusters head out and Peck is excited that they are going to get caught trespassing in a secret government faculty.  However it turns out there was a ghost at the lab and they were all grateful for the Ghostbusters showing up and saving them.

Peck and his sidekick!

                Having failed to stop the Ghostbusters, Peck uses his authority as an officer of the Bureau of Unidentified Flying Organisms to seize Slimer from the Ghostbusters.  Slimer was going to escape but to help the Ghostbusters he went voluntarily.     

Peck walks away with Slimer

                Slimer was taken to a lab where it was ghost-proof so he couldn’t escape.  At first he is happy because the scientists there gave him a table full of food.  They kept trying to run tests on him and kept getting negative results and their observers slimed.  At the firehouse the Ghostbusters decide to go on a rescue mission. 

Peck bringing Slimer to be tested on.

                Since the scientists can’t make any true call on whom or what Slimer is.  Peck decides he must be destroyed by throwing him in the cyclotron.  The Ghostbusters show up and try to stop it, however it turned out the switch to shut it off was broken and it was going keep spinning faster and faster until it exploded.   The Ghostbusters used their packs to destroy the engine and shut it down.   At first they thought they were too late as all that remained of Slimer were pieces.  However Slimer was able to reform himself to the delight of the Ghostbusters.

                In the end Slimer and the Ghostbusters all got metals and Peck the pink slip. 

My Take:  It’s funny as an adult when I re-watch the Ghostbusters movie and I am somewhat sympathetic to Peck.  Yes, he does eventually draw absurd conclusions about the Ghostbusters and shuts down the Containment Unit letting out all the ghosts, but his original reason for showing up was valid.  The EPA had every right to ask the Ghostbusters what they are doing and assess any environmental concerns they may have.  It was Peter who unnecessarily told him off and as a result brought the wrath of the EPA down upon them.  In this episode however he is just a complete loser who tries to frame the Ghostbusters and murder Slimer.  As they said in the film this man has no dick.

                Now for my stray observations:

·         Slimer has been taken by the Government so what do we do?  Call a lawyer or try to break into a Federal Government Research Lab?  Yeah the second one.

·         Ecto-1 can jump now not just swim.  Did they go back and get their stuff later?

·         Lead lined walls?  Why would that stop Slimer or any other ghost for that matter?  Lead has never been a barrier if it was a lot more ghosts would get stuck on and in things.

·         These must have the dumbest scientists in the world.  Ghosts have already have been established to exist not only by the world famous Ghostbusters who have their own classification system.  But there is Tobin’s Spirit Guide, Conventions, etc.  But we don’t know what Slimer is?  And since we don’t know he must be dangerous.

·         Peck fired. Yea!

·         Once again the Ghostbusters are heroes even though they broke in.  It is good to be a ghostbuster.

Great episode, I always like the episodes that tie into the movie. 

THE GHOSTBUSTERS ENCOUNTER A COPY OF THE ADDAMS FAMILY

Loathe Thy Neighbor

Original Air date November 7, 1987

Writer: Michael Reaves

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 4 of 5)

Summary:  The Ghostbusters are called in on a job to a very creepy mansion.  The clients they have are an odd group of people who closely resemble the classical Addams Family with a bit of the Munsters.  Bello Micawb is warm and friendly welcoming the Ghostbusters and he seems to enjoy playing host.  He doesn’t seem to be aware that his tastes are outside the mainstream.  He is also drawn to closely resemble Gomez Addams.  His wife Lucrecia Micawb, who is clearly based on Morticia Addams, is a little more cold and distant to the Ghostbusters.   The son Thaddeus, who built a Frankenstein dog, is openly hostile to the Ghostbusters.  The daughter Lydia Micawb is clearly a take on Marilyn Munster who is the only ordinary person in the family.

The Ghostbusters shown in by the butler.

                Throughout the episode the Ghostbusters are searching for the ghost but they are often thrown off by the weirdness of the house.  Everything down to the alarm clock is enough to trigger their instincts.  The only time they know that they have encountered the ghost is when it attacks them in the library.  They are able to ward off the attack when Ray reads a spell from one of the Micawb’s spell books.

The Ghostbusters and the Micawb Family.

                It is discovered that the reason Thaddeus was so upset is because he is the one who summoned the other dimensional entity when he was looking to the spell books to find a friend for his Frankenstein dog.  He leads the Ghostbusters to the entity and as they battle it they noticed that it fed of the energy of their proton packs.  However Egon concluded it could only take so much before it overloaded.  They continue to blast the creature until it is destroyed.

Lydia Micawb the normal one.

                After the adventure is over the Ghostbusters get to meet the extended family who are all bizarre in the true Addams Family fashion.    

Slimer being chased by a nasty book.

My Take: I was never a really big Addams Family fan.  I watched the movie and enjoyed it but not much else though.   I also have seen a only a few episodes of the old Munsters series.  So I didn’t get any fan nostalgia over it.  I did appreciate the concept of the Ghostbusters encountering characters and a place so odd that it makes the ghost capturing difficult because strange things that aren’t ghosts keep popping up.

Ray with a spell book.

Now for my stray observations:

• This kind or reminds me of the last episode of Season 2.  At least they didn’t destroy this house.
• It’s fun to remember their ghostbusting career started in a library.
• Slimer was useful to have around because it was good to have one of the guests like the food.
•  The discussion of Supernatural and Paranatural was interesting.  I always thought that it wasn't a done deal that all ghosts were once people.  Some these are strange and bizarre looking while not even acting human like.  I always assumed that some ghosts were just created negative energy etc.  So the Ghostbusters know their Containment Unit is a prison for souls.
•  I thought this paranormal creature was similar to the one they found in space.
• Egon claims they sent it back to where it came from.  Actually they didn’t, they premeditatedly destroyed it.   Egon probably didn’t want the kid to feel guilty.

This was a fun episode.  

A PUMPKIN RETURNS

Halloween II ½

Original Air date October 31, 1987

Writer: Richard Mueller

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 5 of 5)

Summary: The Junior Ghostbusters are out trick-or-treating with Slimer, with the spud shutting down some houses.  They run into a pair of goblins who Slimer immediately recognizes as goblins but the Junior Ghostbusters think they’re just kids with good costumes.  They track them to the firehouse and follow in after them.  The firehouse is dark when they enter it.  Larger goblins appear and the Junior Ghostbusters are scared, but then it turns out it just the Real Ghostbusters and Janine in costumes playing a joke on them.

Junior Ghostbusters playing trick or treat!

                   It turns out the Ghostbusters are just having a large Halloween party with lots of guests and everyone seems to be having a good time but Slimer notices the goblins again and they are headed to the room with the Containment Unit.  Slimer informs the Junior Ghostbusters who go down to see the Goblins playing with the Unit so they leave to get the Ghostbusters.  The Ghostbusters are told but the alarm is already going off and when they reach the Containment Unit, Pumpkin head (sorry) Samhain has already broken out.

The Ecto-Junior

                The Ghostbusters with Slimer, Janine, and the Junior Ghostbusters all take off in the Ecto-1 as the firehouse is transformed to the Headquarters of Pumpkin head Samhain (my bad).  The Ghostbusters drop off the Junior Ghostbusters and tell them to stay put and of course they don’t.  They jump into Ecto-Junior and have their own little adventure chasing goblins and throwing pumpkins.  This lasted until Pump Samhain (sorry) himself captured them.

Slimer being sneaky.

                The Ghostbusters are making plans and Egon already sees a weakness in Pumpkin head’s (oops)Samhain's set up, but he just needs to find the key stone and Egon could reverse everything.  They send in Slimer with a mini-camera to do a layout.  Slimer finds both the Keystone and the captured children.  When the Ghostbusters arrive Pum Samhain (my mistake) threatens the children unless the adults surrender.  Slimer however causes a distraction and draws Pumpkin head’s Samhain's ghost army.  The Ghostbuster used they’re large Ecto-1 cannon and their lights to both destroy the keystone and damage Pumpkin head Samhain.  Slimer helped the Juinor Ghostbusters escape.  As Pumpkin head Samhain was sucked back into the Containment Unit the firehouse returned to normal. 

Last stand for a Pumpkin!

My Take: Well the return of one of the all-time bad guys: Pumpkin head Samhain (I keep getting that wrong).  This time, instead transforming other places in New York to begin his empire, he creates his fortress from the Ghostbusters own headquarters.  Although he is not the first ghost to force them out he was the first one to do it in style.

                Now for my stray observations:

·         Where are the parents of the Junior Ghostbusters?

·         Having a Halloween episode on Halloween is a great idea.

·         Halloween is the best time for ghosts and goblins: no one thinks it is really them.

·         When Slimer saw them mess with the Containment Unit why is he going to the Junior Ghostbusters with this information?

·         I love Peter’s line when Pumpkin head Samhain asked if they thought they could contain him forever. “Yes, we thought we could.”

·         Why did only Pumpkin head escape?  Was he waiting by the hatch?  Somehow coordinated with the outside?  What about the powerful ghosts such Ghash, Wat, the Boogieman?  Did Pumpkin head Samhain somehow dispose of them?

·         Hold on! Slimer can make people go intangible by putting slime on them?  Has he always been able to do this?

This was a great sequel episode and connection to the first season.  

MY MOTHER’S FAVORITE EPISODE

Sticky Business

Original Air date October 24, 1987

Writer: Richard Mueller

Director: Charles Grosvenor

Main Cast:

• Dave Coulier as Peter Venkman
• Frank Welker as Raymond Stantz
• Maurice LaMarche as Egon Spengler
• Arsenio Hall as Winston Zeddemore
• Kath Soucie as Janine Melnitz
• Frank Welker as Slimer

(Rating 5 of 5)

Summary:  At a local hospital the Ghostbusters enter a dark room where they find a ghost, who is obviously Slimer in a bedsheet, and they quickly blast and trap him.  The lights go on and the viewers see that the room is full of kids.  The whole setup was just a demonstration for the kids and the Ghostbusters quickly let Slimer out of the trap to the kids delight.  While talking to Dr. Perkins she revels that hospital is hurting for funds and unless they can raise $50,000 by the end of the week several kids will have to go home despite their serious condition.

Slimer and the kids from the hospital.

                The Ghostbusters return home brokenhearted and explain to Janine everything that is going on with the children and hospital.  At this point a man who identifies himself as Marty Tillis, President of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Company, enters the firehouse and offers the Ghostbusters a deal.  If they allow him to shoot the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man in his commercial he will pay the hospital $50,000.

President of the Stay Puft Marshmallow company. 

                The Ghostbusters decide to take him up on the offer.  Down in front the Containment Unit, the Ghostbusters convince Slimer to go into the Unit and get Stay Puft.  Slimer is reluctant at first because of the all the enemies he has in there but he wants to help the kids.  Slimer goes into the Containment Unit and after some close calls with some old enemies he finds the SPMM and explains their plan.  Stay Puft happy to get out for a little while agrees but as they leave a nasty ghost called the Phantom sneaks underneath the SPMM’s collar.

Oh no, Slimer doesn't want to get eaten again!

Escape! The Containment Unit is a rough place.

Finds who he is looking for

                The Ghostbusters open up the trap and Slimer and the SPMM come out.  The Ghostbusters drive ahead giving instructions to Slimer by radio and he relays them to the SPMM.  Then the Phantom attacks.  The Ghostbusters instantly recognize and dread what has been let out.  The Phantom who is hot enough to burn through concrete zaps the SPMM who then chases after him.  The level of destruction that the SPMM causes absent mildly continues to add up as he runs around in circles at the Phantom.

Out!

                At one point SPMM gets stuck in an ally and Egon and Ray try to squeeze through his legs but have to separate from their proton packs to fit.  This allows the Phantom to take the packs and corner the helpless pair.  But Peter showed up in Ecto-2 to chase the Phantom away.

Me too!

                When they finally are able to redirect SPMM back on course they almost make it as the director begins filming the commercial.  The Phantom melts pavement sticking the Ecto-1 and then uses a crane to throw them in the water.  Getting thrown in the water was good thing because of Ecto-1 built-in water abilities that first saw in last episode.  

Stuck, help Slimer!

                The SPMM battles the Phantom once more. He grabs the construction crane and caught the Phantom.  This held the creature long enough for the Ghostbusters to trap it.  The hospital got the check and the kids from the hospital got to play King of Mountain on the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man.

Finally making the commercial. 

My Take:  My mother probably doesn’t remember this but this was her favorite Ghostbusters episode.  In fact my first VCR recording was when she showed me how to tape this episode.  It’s not hard to see why she liked it.  The message of the Ghostbusters going out of their way to help sick kids plus the SPMM calling the Phantom a “bad dude” and the Ghostbusters “good dudes.”  In some way this episode is great individual episode to represent the entire series.  It has all the main characters playing important roles, all their cool equipment is shown, and the two most popular movie ghosts are included.

                I have complained in earlier reviews about continuity issues regarding the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man, in this episode the character was done perfectly and this should have been the model.  "Sticky Business" showed the perfect way to get him out of the Containment Unit and no issues with trap size. If there are any episodes involving the STMM they should be more like this in the future.

                Now for my stray observations:

·         So the hospital needs $50,000 by the end of the week, the Ghostbusters shouldn't be that intimated they once earned more than that in a single afternoon.  All they have to do is work hard.

·         Maybe the episode should have been about the Ghostbusters lobbying Congress to properly fund the local hospitals instead of having to rely on business charity.  If they cry socialism tell them you’ll let out Stay Puft.

·         I should point out that Janine’s idea to explore the Containment Unit won out over Egon’s. 

·         Good to see Ghash and Precious again.

·         I like how Slimer got the STMM unstuck.

·         I wouldn’t let kids play on the STMM, he is not bad guy it just strikes me as dangerous.

             A great episode in every measurable way, the funny thing is Richard Mueller on the DVD set said he forgot about this episode entirely.